


Goodbye

by gonzochickenlover



Series: Hedwig [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Mother-like Hedwig, Protector Hedwig, Sad Ending, Warrior Hedwig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-10 20:23:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20534057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonzochickenlover/pseuds/gonzochickenlover
Summary: Hedwig protects her Harry to the end.





	Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you genevieveyoung for being my Beta. You have been a great help to me.  
Any mistakes are my own.  
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just enjoying her magical world.

Hedwig traveled with the humans who had embraced Harry as a member of their family. Their goal was to pick up Harry from his Dursley Nest and deliver him safely to his Weasley Nest. But there was more to it than that. Harry's life was in danger, and she and her travel companions could sense it.

The humans were using an assortment of modes of travel. Two of them rode flying horses that looked like carcasses, Hagrid rode a muggle contraption that was enchanted to fly, and the rest used brooms. Hedwig had been living at the Weasley Nest during the summer. She stayed there every summer because the Dursley Nest was unsafe. It was the nest her person had grown up in, but had not chosen. The Dursleys were violent creatures. They starved, abused, and caged her beloved human. If Hedwig had stayed with Harry, they would do the same to her. Or worse, murder her. Harry and the Weasleys did not want that to happen to Hedwig, so they insisted that she live at the Good Nest while her owlet stayed at the bad one.

  
It pained her, but she knew that she could care for Harry better if she lived with the Weasleys. She could not protect him if she was caged and injured. Occasionally she would deliver a letter to Harry from one of the Weasleys, but she could not stay long, in case the Dursleys spotted her.

Harry had to live at the Bad Nest every summer because many magical beings did not like Harry and wanted to hurt and kill him. The Bad Nest had a magical barrier around it that the Good Nest did not. A magical barrier that was strengthened every time Harry spent the summer there.

The barrier did not protect Harry from the Dursleys though, and Hedwig and the rest of Harry's chosen family hated it.

Every year, more and more magical people wished harm on Harry, so every year it became even more important that he stay at the Bad Nest than the last. This was the last year Harry would have to stay at the Durleys'. It was the year that Harry's magic would fully mature, and he would be considered an adult in the magical world. The magic that had protected Harry durring his childhood would no longer be there to protect him.

When Hedwig arrived with the others to the Dursley Nest, the magical barrier had already begun to weaken. Soon it would collapse and be gone.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------  
At the Dursley Nest, Harry greeted everyone happily. He was glad to see them, but was angry that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for his. Her owlet knew he was in danger and he did not want his chosen family to be harmed because they protected him. Harry loved his chosen family. They, like her, had helped Harry through many tough times. They felt the same way about her human as Harry did for them. All of his chosen protectors were strong-willed and good fighters. They had all been in one battle or another, and some of them had the scars to prove it. Hedwig was glad that they were there to help her protect her Harry.

Hedwig watched as half of the humans transformed into Harry look-alikes, though she knew which one was her beloved. Hedwig could sense it through their bond. Many humans had shallow bonds with their familiars. They treated their animal companions as if they were things or servants. This was not the case with Harry. Harry and Hedwig's bond was strong. They had gone through many tough times together, and Harry had bared his soul to Hedwig on many occasions, strengthening their bond a little more each time.

The humans broke off into pairs, each Harry look-alike was partnered with a non Harry look-alike. Their plan was to confuse the bad magical humans who were after Harry. The most seasoned of the wizards, the man with a magical eye and leg, pulled out six stuffed toy owls that looked similar to Hedwig. Hedwig was confused at first. How could these toys protect her Harry? But then, the wizard cast a spell on the fake owls so that, they too, would be able to fly after one of the fake Harrys. This helped Hedwig feel better. She was glad that the humans understood that Hedwig would not leave her person, and that the wizard had took precautions to make sure that each Harry appeared the same as the other. It would not do to have only one Harry being followed by a Hedwig.

They departed the Dursley Nest for the last time. Harry would never have to live at the Bad Nest again.

Ron rode a broom with the human that could change her appearance at will, and Hermione rode a death horse with the tall, dark skinned wizard. Harry rode in the muggle contraption with Hagrid; Hedwig following behind.

The moment they flew through the weakened magical barrier it collapsed. The bad wizards had been waiting for Harry and his chosen family, and started attacking the Harrys with various spells. It was chaos.

The Harry pairings separated ways, each set being followed by several bad wizards. Hedwig stuck with her Harry. Harry fought spell with spell, and Hagrid's flying contraption produced distractions; like a net, dark fog, and a violent fire. Hedwig pecked and scratched with the furiosity any mother has when they are protecting their offspring. They maimed many, but more and more kept appearing.

Then the green light came. The light of death. The light a magical stick produces when it is aimed to kill, and that light was directed at her Harry. Hedwig did what any mother would do, she flew in front of the spell. She had promised she would do anything and everything she could for her precious owlet, so she gave up her life to protect his.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story in sadness. Hedwig is my favorite character and I hated to see her die in the original version. Especially so suddenly.  
When writing this, I combined details of both the book and the movie, plus added some of my own stuff. Stuff that would give Hedwig a better chance of survival and a better way for her to defend her Harry.  
I write this story in honor of my beloved Hedwig. I felt that if she was going to die, she should die a warriors death. One with lots of fighting, maiming, and protecting.


End file.
